Reviews by PaulStoneAnchor:

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Ah, Christmas Day, a chance to enter in some of the backlogged reviews of yesteryear from the notes on the phone. I've had this beer a few times, once at the Bistro Barrel festival and once at the Eclipe release party (1st annual).

Pours the usual black, lighter around the edges as usual, decent head to it. Customary boozy bourbon aroma blended with the heavy roast of the Totality base beer. Aroma just seemed heavier handed on this barreled version than the others, but after sipping on the beer, the aroma mellowed out and was enjoyable and became smoother.

Whiskey and chocolate dominate the palate, thankfully, the boozy aroma wasn't as heavy in the taste, mellowed into a gritty experience. This beer takes some patience and willingness to let it open up, but when you do, it really settles into a decadent chocolate and whiskey tinged experience.

Seeing as JD is the most widely known whiskey, and its relative cheapness, this beer isn't going to get any rarity or spirits aficionados to clammor over it. (1,017 characters)

Pours black with a half-finger brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells phenomenal. Smooth roasted malt aromas are joined by solid amounts of milk and dark chocolate. Also present are large amounts of vanilla, smaller amounts of coconut, and smaller still amounts of oak tying everything together.

Tastes similar to how it smells, although not quite as well integrated. Equal parts dark chocolate and roasted malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by smooth vanilla flavors. Midway through the sip the vanilla fades just a bit with the addition of oak. The oak, malt, and chocolate flavors carry through to a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with soft carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have another.

Overall this beer is smoother and a bit more refined than the Elijah Craig version however it didn't have the complexity of the Heaven Hill. Still, a great beer that's well worth a shot. (1,104 characters)

On tap at City Beer for FiftyFifty day. What do you know - I swore that morning that I wouldn't drink that day, then a couple guys convinced me to go to this, and by 4pm, I was about 5 beers in. FML. This was definitely the least of the three -bal aged Eclipse varieties, which is pretty much like calling someone the dumbest quantum physicist at CERN.

Pours jet black and viscous with a small brown head that fades to some brown bubbles. Not too much lacing to speak of, but you get some "legs" on the glass.

Whiskey and barrel notes really stand out on the aroma in this one, really dominating more than in the other versions. Some chocolate and roast smells hide behind the Jack.

Flavor is also somewhat whiskey-heavy and very good, but not quite as balanced as in the Pappy, Elijah Craig, and Heaven Hill versions. Jack Daniels gets all up in yo' grill, sort of like the person Missy Elliott was referring to in the "all in my grill" song. Hey, a chick gotta live, right? Besides the whiskey, the flavor is somewhat complex. Chocolate, roast, coffee, caramel, oak, vanilla, and booze.

Medium-full bodied, and not quite as smooth as the other varieties. A bit hot - age could probably benefit this quite nicely.

Drinkability is decent but not great. Overall a very solid RIS, but not an elite level one. (1,311 characters)

Dark brown, hazy but clear around the edges. Pours with a small head that quickly settles to a collar.

Smells lightly of dark chocolate, whiskey and oak, along with a bit of anise and roasted malt. Fairly light and bland compared to other versions of Eclipse, but not bad.

The palate is decent. Chocolatey with a little caramel and licorice, light on the oak and with a rather simple sweet whiskey flavor. The body is medium-full, carbonation is moderate. Alcohol is very reigned-in, barely noticeable. It's easy to drink but ultimately nothing special.

2009 edition barrel aged for 300 days, no wax:

Same appearance as the 200 day version, but slightly more carbonated, better head retention.

This smells much more strongly of whiskey, though it has the same signature one-dimensional Jack Daniels sweetness. Chocolate, roasted malt. It's a little fatty and tarry too.

The palate has a lot of simplistic whiskey sweetness, caramel candy and chocolate, a little booziness in the finish. The body and carbonation are spot-on, but the flavors aren't impressive.

Having tried this beer several times both on tap and from bottles, I think I can safely say that Jack Daniels barrels and Eclipse simply don't mix well. It's not a bad beer, but it's far from great. (1,333 characters)

Maple syrup, vanilla, slight bit of charred oak and cheap JD whiskey pretty much sums up the aroma. Nothing complex. The JD really doesn't integrate into the beer and covers up some of the chocolate aromas that I found in the '09 HH and EC. It stands out like a low quality ingredient.

First notice of soy sauce in taste for the '09s. Maybe it's just more prominent in this one. Again, that ugly JD barrel stands out and mutes out all the other flavors. It was really tough drinking this one. I didn't even finish the 5-6oz sample I had. (589 characters)

Purchased at City Beer Store and tasted in a side-by-side comparison with EC, HH and PVW versions at the Colorado stoutfest. This was easily the least enjoyable of the four versions. Unlike the others, this one had a stiller appearance, less carbonation. Smell and taste were overwhelming whiskey. Extremely sweet, hot, with lots of vanilla, oak, and what seemed to me an out-of-place vinous quality as well. The JD Eclipse probably would have benefitted from a blend with some non-BA Eclipse as well to take the edge off all the whiskey. Oh well, the other Eclipses have all been great. Interesting to see how different a stout can be when aged in different barrels. (667 characters)

S: To say this smells like nail polish remover would be an understatement. It absolutely reeks of it. Other than that, lots of roasted malts, booze, and whiskey. There is just a hint of vanilla and chocolate, which is really the only good thing.

T: An incredibly harsh nail polish remover/acetone flavor, too. Intense green apple and booze, along with a bit of oak, whiskey, and vanilla. Roasted malts and dark chocolate are there in the background.

M: The body is medium and the carbonation is low to medium.

O: Just atrocious stuff. Very unfortunate, since these are generally some of my favorite imperial stouts. (729 characters)

App- Its nice. Its not as dark as some of the Eclipse variants but retains a good dark center and a bit of a creamy shimmery quality as well. Only a small 1/2" off tan head with maybe a couple dots of cling.

Smell- Well it wasnt as aromatic as I thought but at almost 3 years and other reviews I was skeptic. You do get the burn of the whiskey faintly. That seems to make way for the brownie like aroma with a touch of malts and chocolate.

Taste- This was a very fine beer. Again same as every year ive had from Eclipse the bottle issues are there. Thank the lord the $ on this was worth it. The dessert like flavors of the nose carry over well with thick malts, a good dose of barrel from the aging brings some vanilla and a bit grainy oak. The JD has faded a bit and leaves only traces of the alcohol.

Mouth- A pretty solid medium body with a couple pockets of a larger body. The carbonation was about on par for this type of beer. A little bit prickly, a bit smooth and sweet.

Drink- This was hard to pass up in the cabinet. Glad I split the high $$ with some guy named Seth at the bar. Good on ya. Most of the reviews bashed this. I found it to be very enjoyable. (1,289 characters)

A: Pours like a black hole with a thin dark brown head. S: Sweet smelling with a bit of Jack Daniels and light cocoa. T: Big alcohol flavor but the burn is smooth. It’s sweet, but not really from dark fruits or raisins. I get a touch of caramel, but the Jack really dominates everything. It actually boarders on nail polish, but it’s not that bad. This beer definitely tastes –bal aged. M: Warming alcohol, a creamy mouthfeel with tingly carbonation. O: Drinkable enough but definitely rough around the edges. Probably my least favorite of the Eclipses that I’ve had. (643 characters)

Bomber into a matching Eclipse snifter. This is supposedly the 300-day version as opposed to the 200-days in the barrel version. The brew appears black in color with brown around edges and a spotty head and lace sticking to the glass. The cap holds firm with a webbing across the top and patchy lace that forms when swirled.

The aroma is tangy from that expected unique JD sourish whiskey note. Some musty oak blends with alcohol and almost a citrus quality all intermingle through the middle. Some stale coffee notes and roast integrate with a mild cardboard-like oxidation towards the back. Unique nose on this to say the least.

The taste is boozy with a tangy alcohol component that is somewhat expected from the unique character of JD. Some earth, must, raw oak and chocolate are caught midpalate while there is a noticasble amount of cardboard-like oxidation blending with the mustiness in the aftertadte. A faint afterthought of soy comes out if you ponder the oxidation too long.

This is a medium bodied brew with a light amount of carbonation. It is better than expected but shows the alcohol more vibrantky than most of the other treatments. I can see this one not exactly passing as a crowd favorite especially if you dislike JD. However, the age to this is starting to make it complex and interesting enough to keep you going back sip after sip. We approached this almost ready to laugh and say it sucked after drinking the glorious PVW version but honestly, I was surprised and enjoyed this. (1,506 characters)